The End of the World

[Anime Reviews]

Saikano review part 2: here is a (last love) song from the wrong side of town

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Over-analysis, Saikano]

In the first part of my She: the Ultimate Weapon appraisal I did a very conventional review on the production as a whole but I would have brought out a tl;dr reaction had I set out my full thoughts regarding the character relationships in the depth I wanted. They are after all the emotional core of the story; the vague and sketchy nature of the political background to the show’s worldview suggested to me from the start that it is intended to be viewed as a character piece above all else.

All you need is love…

The entire concept revolves around Shuji and Chise of course but the supporting cast are, somewhat unusually, given quite a bit of screen time. The likes of Akemi and Atsushi are given back-stories and motives that are of perhaps lesser importance in the outcome of the war but are no less complex and occasionally just as morally or emotionally ambiguous - and important in terms of Chise’s and Shuji’s respective circumstances. Actually this more ‘comment & analysis’-style post is going to be tl;dl again too so if you hated the show or are worried about spoilers, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

As Sasa pointed out in her comment, Atsushi’s decision to leave town and fight instead of staying with the girl he loved was somewhat odd - he’d be protecting her in a very indirect way that might not actually be making a great deal of difference in the broader scheme of things. This could be explained I think by a naive desire to do something to help so, with the mantra that a man is judged by his actions in mind, he did what he thought he could; added to this I think is the fact that going away to war gave him a sensation of protecting her while not having to see her every day and confront/confess his true feelings.

Akemi comes across as a very strong character though, acting as a voice of reason between her friends and only confessing her feelings for Shuji on her death-bed and then (then, of all times!) feeling guilt and embarrassment - almost as if she felt she was betraying Chise for feeling the way she did. Her final scene - intended to be a pivotal one for Shuji in that it was the first death of someone he knew seen first-hand - was indeed a powerful one, because the finality of the situation pulled her emotions painfully into focus. Looking at the effects she had on Shuji and Atsushi she is a very important and memorable character in the production as a whole.

Akemi keeps her dignity to the end

Another interesting pairing is that of Fuyumi and Tetsu, the married couple who are torn apart by the events surrounding them in a more traditional way than Chise and Shuji; as I so often find myself saying when examining the actions of flawed but complex characters, I can understand the choices they make, if not agree with them. Who wouldn’t feel as lonely as Fuyumi and Tetsu? By that token, how many of us can say we’d be more faithful than they were? Actually, I’m not expecting you (or me) to answer that because it’s a pretty unfair question given the extreme nature of their situation.

However the borderline-infidelity situations came about (I don’t approve of them but hardly feel as if I’m in any position to condemn them either), it’s certainly unusual for the central characters of a romance tale to waver so much and behave in ways that the viewer might not consider to be heroic; these events did serve to solidify the respective characters’ original relationships though. Tetsu’s kindly treatment of Chise helped preserve her humanity and desire to return to Shuji; Shuji on the other hand was forced to decide which woman in his life he really wanted to be with, which may well have cemented his resolve to stay by Chise’s side to the bitter end.

Comrades in arms

Were there ways in which the Chise/Shuji relationship could have been handled better by the series’ writers? It is particularly hard to portray this sort of thing convincingly when characters and therefore their emotions are not fully mature, after all. For example it begs the question, “are they old enough to really know what love is?” I’d stick my neck out and say they did - their romance started off in the usual way and was a variant on the typical long-distance relationship punctuated by ordinary moments together; the latter episodes in which they elope and live together is as normal as any relationship can be.

The point at which Shuji finally returns Chise to the military involves a tough decision with no easy answer given her condition: he is motivated by fear, concern for her welfare, his own inability to cure her and the philosophy that human beings all want to live rather than die. After those scenes with Fuyumi, this arc proved to me Shuji’s devotion to Chise, which I had doubted a little at some points.

One other aspect of Saikano that is handled differently to quite a lot of romance anime (possibly because of its youngish target demographic?) is that of Chise’s and Shuji’s relationship being consummated. My experience in the genre is quite scant I’ll admit, but it seems quite rare that couples actually go ‘all the way’. When the issue of sex is brought up, it’s perhaps mentioned in passing but an actual sex act is rarely said to have occured; Kare Kano is another rare exception to this. The truth is, it is a natural part (or in Kare Kano’s case, a progression) of the couple’s relationship overall and has a great deal of meaning to them; certainly not a spur-of-the-moment decision or result of a night of drunkenness or similar, so I’d say it’s a valid and integral part of the story.

This development comes very late in Saikano but the two of them actually broach the subject much earlier on, and in one heartbreakingly touching scene (especially viewed in retrospect) they discuss long-terms plans such as settling down and starting a family of their own. The point at which they act on those discussions is described by Shuji as a union that could never result in conception - apparently Chise’s condition is such that she can no longer bear children - but this doesn’t make it any less symbolic.

Just as Chise is preparing to give her body and soul to the young man she loves, the same body and soul are suddenly the property of a military force that is fighting for reasons beyond her comprehension. In the end, neither of them are part of a military force or other relationships; for that one moment they just belong to each other. Always the sucker for the sentimental, I thought it was quite poignant, as was the eventuality that when all else was lost - and I mean EVERYTHING - love was the one thing that survived it all.

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In regards to the post title, I found it doubly meaningful that the Ainu word ‘Chise’ means ‘Home’. Now read the lyrics, and listen to the song if you can. I know it’s rare for me to actually explain one of my obscure musical references but for reasons I won’t elaborate on further, I feel this one is especially meaningful.

[Filed under Anime Reviews]  [Tags: Over-analysis, Saikano]

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